I feel that my art embodies the love that we all have for those around us, including those we idolize. Ever since I was young, I have thrived to make everyone around me smile in any way that I possibly can. I find deep joy in drawing things that people cherish the most. When I see the way their faces light up when they see my art work I believe that there is no better feeling in the world. I personally put a lot of feelings into my work. The type of feelings I use in my pieces depend on what type of media that I am using. Everyone’s lives have a dark and a light side to them; my use of media shines light on both of these aspects in my life. My personal preference of media is graphite. I believe that color is one of the beauties of life, but I think that black and white pictures have their own unique aesthetic that most people do not lean towards. I also love the control I have when I use graphite or colored pencils. It somehow relieves my stress to be able to erase my mistakes and create complete accuracy. On the contrary to graphite, with painting I feel the need to dig into my deepest thoughts to produce chaotic illusions for the brain to try to make since of. The different array of colors littered across the canvas, the brush strokes, and the amount of paint used all has its purpose even through the twist and mangle of it all.

Focus on the little dog. Only spend what you can stand to lose. Watch daily, research topics that interest you and go for companies that are not in the spotlight. Setting aside money you might have spent on fast food or a pair of shoes you want but do not need. Dream of your long term goals while you focus on your short term goals.

If you are a living soul on the great planet Earth you should be an active and constant environmentalist. Our home is our planet. Ground, water, sky, air are all delicate factors to the environmental and to our overall life itself! Pollution comes in many various forms weather it be solid, liquid or gas. A major factor is just trash. Personal trash from homes, vehicles, jobsites, office buildings and schools. Disposing of this trash causes not only build up in landfills but also causes MORE equipment and trucks to be run to properly transport and compact the trash! What does that mean? More emissions disrupting our air quality and ozone! We need to find more ways to eliminate trash waste. Too many products and services provide wasteful, unnecessary amounts of trash. We must find ways to combine and condense containers, use refillable drinkware, reusable shopping and food bags. Shipping boxes and bags are out of control at this moment. A small box inside of a large box is an example of more unnecessary trash. People do not burn these boxes or bring them to the recycling center. They throw it in the trash can. Multiple cans and bags. Less waste equals less emissions pouring into our lives.

The number one thing I do is just be available to them. For love, support, friendship or just plain being around. Being alone and forgotten is one of the biggest fears for the elderly. And many of them are living that life right now. A simple phone call or drop in is one of the best remedies you can provide. Support comes in many forms weather it be help around the home, food (cooked or brought) and general personal contact.

I am an artist by trade, a teacher in progress and of course an animal lover! Beastly, my dog is a Morkie (half Yorkie, half Maltese). We have many adventures together as you can see but we also enjoy time to relax in a comfy bed. Beastly is a very special pup. She is now 5 years old and has been a bid part of our family's life. YES she does enjoy the indoors but she is also an outdoor lover. Always game for an event outdoor or even a flower, photo shoot. My BFF (Best Furry Friend)

While most kids in elementary school wanted to be things like firefighters, police officers, and nurses, I always wanted to be an art teacher. I want to be able to take the raw talent of my students and mold it to its full potential. Art was always the one thing that helped me to find my happy place and I wanted to do that for other people too. From experience, I have found that junior high and high school are really hard times in the lives of growing minds. I want to be that one thing in their lives that they can go to so that they can relieve their stress. I personally love school and I want them to see the same value in education and in life as I do. I feel that it is extremely important for young minds to be able to express themselves, especially for their mental health. Although, it is often a dispute that the art program should be gotten rid of for the sake of schools’ budgets, art is simply one of the basic essential needs for one’s development. Art in schools provides an easy way to expand students minds through simple play. Play is an important part of education that can help develop skills not only in physical health, but socio-emotional and cognitive skills as well. Young children have a hard time controlling their emotions and interacting with other students. They should have the opportunity for them to find their own comforts to help them find themselves. If young children do not learn how to control their emotions and interact with others it could affect how they learn not only in their other classes but in the future as well. This is my junior year at UCO (University of Central Oklahoma) and I chose to add Child Development as well as Teaching Individuals with Disabilities. The reason I chose these 2 curriculums was because there is a need for empathy in children and adult lives that teachers can provide. The need may come from developmental disabilities or even emotional. This summer the restaurant owner I worked for is an actual special needs school teacher and has been for many years. She helped me to understand that teaching goes way beyond "perfect" children. There are so many walks of life I will encounter in my upcoming career and I want to be ready to support they're needs.

While most kids in elementary school wanted to be things like firefighters, police officers, and nurses, I always wanted to be an art teacher. I want to be able to take the raw talent of my students and mold it to its full potential. Art was always the one thing that helped me to find my happy place and I wanted to do that for other people too. From experience, I have found that junior high and high school are really hard times in the lives of growing minds. I want to be that one thing in their lives that they can go to so that they can relieve their stress. I personally love school and I want them to see the same value in education and in life as I do. I feel that it is extremely important for young minds to be able to express themselves, especially for their mental health. Although, it is often a dispute that the art program should be gotten rid of for the sake of schools’ budgets, art is simply one of the basic essential needs for one’s development. Art in schools provides an easy way to expand students minds through simple play. Play is an important part of education that can help develop skills not only in physical health, but socio-emotional and cognitive skills as well. Young children have a hard time controlling their emotions and interacting with other students. They should have the opportunity for them to find their own comforts to help them find themselves. If young children do not learn how to control their emotions and interact with others it could affect how they learn not only in their other classes but in the future as well.

While most kids in elementary school wanted to be things like firefighters, police officers, and nurses, I always wanted to be an art teacher. I want to be able to take the raw talent of my students and mold it to its full potential. Art was always the one thing that helped me to find my happy place and I wanted to do that for other people too. From experience, I have found that junior high and high school are really hard times in the lives of growing minds. I want to be that one thing in their lives that they can go to so that they can relieve their stress. I personally love school and I want them to see the same value in education and in life as I do. I feel that it is extremely important for young minds to be able to express themselves, especially for their mental health. Although, it is often a dispute that the art program should be gotten rid of for the sake of schools’ budgets, art is simply one of the basic essential needs for one’s development. Art in schools provides an easy way to expand students minds through simple play. Play is an important part of education that can help develop skills not only in physical health, but socio-emotional and cognitive skills as well. Young children have a hard time controlling their emotions and interacting with other students. They should have the opportunity for them to find their own comforts to help them find themselves. If young children do not learn how to control their emotions and interact with others it could affect how they learn not only in their other classes but in the future as well.

"Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans." ~ Jacques Yves Cousteau I read this quote nearly 2 years ago. Even though I have watched many episodes of JC I am not sure I grasped not only that he loved the sea but loved what it contained. The full aspect of the OCEAN! It's not just a "fun place" to swim and relax, it's a major living ecosystem. Think about it? Where does our pollution go? Weather it be liquid, gas or solid it goes directly UP, DOWN and ALL AROUND. The old saying goes, "Crap runs downhill". Liquids grab everything from land and runs towards the gulfs, oceans and any nearby waterway. The ocean itself literally turns into a toilet. In today's world we have many processes in place to "control" pollution in various forms. Controls are never fool proof. Human behavior is the most difficult this to control. My actions are just that. MY OWN. In Texas we have a saying, "Don't mess with Texas". But what about the rest of the United States or even the world? In summary, a garbage can to us in modern days is something we hide with a lid on it. Reluctantly taking the bag out when it's full or smells. How do we take out the Global Garbage Bag? That is one of the biggest challenges we face today.

While most kids in elementary school wanted to be things like firefighters, police officers, and nurses, I always wanted to be an art teacher. I want to be able to take the raw talent of my students and mold it to its full potential. Art was always the one thing that helped me to find my happy place and I wanted to do that for other people too. From experience, I have found that junior high and high school are really hard times in the lives of growing minds. I want to be that one thing in their lives that they can go to so that they can relieve their stress. I personally love school and I want them to see the same value in education and in life as I do. I feel that it is extremely important for young minds to be able to express themselves, especially for their mental health. Although, it is often a dispute that the art program should be gotten rid of for the sake of schools’ budgets, art is simply one of the basic essential needs for one’s development. Art in schools provides an easy way to expand students minds through simple play. Play is an important part of education that can help develop skills not only in physical health, but socio-emotional and cognitive skills as well. Young children have a hard time controlling their emotions and interacting with other students. They should have the opportunity for them to find their own comforts to help them find themselves. If young children do not learn how to control their emotions and interact with others it could affect how they learn not only in their other classes but in the future as well.

You are important. That small sentence is sometimes all that a person needs to help them to push themselves one step closer to their goal. The way you feel and what you think is okay! There is no reason for you to listen to the people that let you down and told you that you couldn't, because there is no right or wrong answer to life. Many young students grow up to believe that they are wrong. They are told to think and act a certain way and they must be perfect at everything that they do. However, in this world, there is no such thing as "perfect." Today, instead of encouraging students and looking at what they can do, many teachers have looked down on students for who they are and what they can not do. For this reason, I have seen many students give up at an early age. They simply do not enjoy school anymore. My goal and my purpose in life is to help students learn to love school again by creating a fun and safe environment through the one thing that I do best. Art. Art was the one thing in school that got me through some the hardest things in my life by helping me to relieve stress. It showed me beauty that I have never seen before, pain, love, and great imagination. Art inspired me to find a way to help others see the beauty that the world has to offer. For as long as I can remember all I have wanted to do is make people smile and I have strived to use what little talent I have to do just that. I have wanted to become an art teacher since I was in elementary school. I have always loved school, but because of my social status I was often looked at as lesser than by my teachers and sometimes my peers because I wore the same clothes every day. I was often told that I was disgusting, that I would be just like my parents and I would never make it anywhere in the world. Instead, of letting their harsh words put me down I used them as encouragement to get better and prove to everyone that I was more than the life I was born into. More than my parents. However, just because I did not take the words of those around me to heart does not mean that other kids my age followed in my footsteps. I watched as many of my peers fell into a hole that they could not get out of. I hated the fact that I could do nothing for them and I wished that there were people in their lives to encouage them, so I decided that I would become one. I believe that becoming apart of the school system is the best place I could be to make a difference in students lives, especially in junior high and high school.

There are a lot of methods for self-improvement, whether one is trying to gain weight, improve memory, or eat healthy. However, there is only one way you can grow in your career of choice and professional goals. Increasing your knowledge and taking the step towards a higher education is the stepping stool to one’s desired career and success. It is not uncommon for someone to continue or return to school to boost their career. It does not matter whether you are 16 or 61, you always have an opportunity for self-improvement. There are four main reasons to continue your education: to gain knowledge and improve your skills, build confidence for success, and grow the ability to work with different people. I have had the same career goal, to become a high school or junior high-level art teacher, since I was in elementary school. Throughout my educational experience I have been obsessed with my grades. I love to learn and without any authority figure telling me to do so I have always tried my hardest to make sure my grades are always decent. Although, I struggled keeping up with things being taught to me that only motivated me more to learn. This later motivated me to want to help others in school with the passion I have in art. When it came down to choosing a college, I wanted to find a place with both my educational needs and somewhere I can experience how to live life on my own. I have always known that in order to achieve that goal I must complete at least a bachelor’s degree in education. The first step to completing your bachelor’s degree is to complete your associate degree. By completing my associate degree, I am given the basic skills to go down any career path that I please. An associate degree is beneficial to anyone who may change their mind on their career path or simply want a higher position in their career. Not everyone knows what they want to do when they get out of school or they do know they just do not know much about the job. Completing your associate’s degree is also a great way to learn about different types of degrees and find the one that best suits you, along with obtaining the skills for the profession, and a degree that will look good for any employer. An associate’s degree or higher also give you the confidence that you will accomplish your goal by decreasing your chance of unemployment. As a child I had to move and adapt to new people and locations every year. I believe this has strengthened my communication skills because I am able to read different types of people, get along with just about everyone that I meet, and can see a positive side of almost everything. However, just like these experiences, college has opportunities you probably will not experience anywhere else that can help improve your communication skills. College is the time where students can become individuals. With college students have the ability to become independent and take upon new responsibilities, along with meeting new people with different cultures and ways of seeing things. Colleges are bursting with many different organizations where one can meet others in their career field. By meeting these different types of people, one may learn about different opportunities they did not know they had and maybe even recommend you to an employer when you graduate. In conclusion, higher education has many benefits in helping one reach their goals. Starting with gaining knowledge, improving skills, boosting the confidence for success, and increasing social skills. Completing my needed degree will be a long and hard task, however, I know that all the hard work that I will put down will successfully prepare me for the career I desire and a fruitful life. With all the skills and knowledge, I can obtain from continuing my education I confidently believe I can achieve my goals for becoming an art teacher for a high school or junior high level.

Gregory Roberts Columbia High School Art Teacher. Mr. Rob as we called him was very involved with us as students personally. Being that we was personal with us he helped us realize our strengths and weaknesses. Also how to improve our ourselves. That not only helped me but also my peers. It left a lasting impression and inspired me to teach in a way that embraces the student as an individual. I strive to be the teacher that does not view you as number 12, seat 8, column 3 but as Amy, Micheal, Gabriel. Micha who has a great talent for the use of color. Erin who can take what they see in their mind and express it on paper. Mr. Rob always made sure us as individuals used our own strengths to our advantage. We were multiple kids in the same class, same curriculum but our projects were our own. I had the pleasure of being Mr. Rob's student for 3 years and I feel like he helped me to grow in talent and in person. He was a compassionate teacher but also a stern mentor who refused to let us fail! He pushed me in an appropriate way to accept my talents and put them into the world for all to see. I also felt comfortable enough to order pizza and have it delivered to his class for myself and friends to eat. Which was against the rules. Mr. Rob let us know we will follow the guidelines of not only the school but also his classroom. Needless to say we could not leave class until we ate the entire pizza. We walked away sick to our stomachs but with even more respect for the infamous MR.ROB.

I feel that my art embodies the love that we all have for those around us, including those we idolize. Ever since I was young, I have thrived to make everyone around me smile in any way that I possibly can. I find deep joy in drawing things that people cherish the most. When I see the way their faces light up when they see my art work I believe that there is no better feeling in the world. I personally put a lot of feelings into my work. The type of feelings I use in my pieces depend on what type of media that I am using. Everyone’s lives have a dark and a light side to them; my use of media shines light on both of these aspects in my life. My personal preference of media is graphite. I believe that color is one of the beauties of life, but I think that black and white pictures have their own unique aesthetic that most people do not lean towards. I also love the control I have when I use graphite or colored pencils. It somehow relieves my stress to be able to erase my mistakes and create complete accuracy. On the contrary to graphite, with painting I feel the need to dig into my deepest thoughts to produce chaotic illusions for the brain to try to make since of. The different array of colors littered across the canvas, the brush strokes, and the amount of paint used all has its purpose even through the twist and mangle of it all.

It is said that children are like sponges. They soak up every drop of water that is thrown at them no matter how small. As a child, I always watched my surroundings as carefully as I could. I learned everything on my own, including how to tie my own shoe when I was only 2 years old. As independent as I tried to be growing up, like every child I had someone that I looked up to, someone that I wanted to be. A role model is exactly that, someone that you look up to, someone you strive to be, and someone that you admire. There is only one person in my life that has always been there and I have noticed that I watched the most throughout the years, my mother. Some could even say that I learned my independence and headstrong nature from my mother. I, for one, have always been a supporter of women, because of how independent my mother has taught me to be. One thing that I believe is that my mother is an inspiration not only to me but to all women. What my mother has taught me is that no woman should have to be a slave to her home and marry a man to be successful in the world. You are the only person that can scoop yourself up from the misery and hardships that life has presented to you. My mother came from a household where she always had to fend for herself. Her parents were drug abusers, which made her have to grow up quicker than most kids her age. She not only juggled taking care of herself at the age of 6 years old but an older brother with mental health issues. She learned to cook and work a grill, clean, do laundry, mow the lawn, and fix most things around the house, all at a young age. In her teenage years, she even learned how to build houses, work on cars, and tile roofs without any help. Therefore, she not only taught herself how to survive but to do things that even some men cannot do. With everything that my mother has juggled throughout her life, including becoming a single mom at the age of 19 years old, she never let anyone know that she was struggling. As a child, I have always seen my mother as the most powerful person in the world. Growing up, I watched as my mother got up every morning at 4:00 AM to work hard jobs on the pipeline and in the plants just as a man would, only put food on the table for me. She always looked so tired as she got ready for work but she always made the time to make sure that she looked presentable and ready for the day. Some days I wondered if my mother had ever done anything for herself. With this, I was inspired by her selflessness and strength even though everyone told her she couldn't. In this realization, I knew that I had to grow up fast, just as my mother did. I had to learn and discover things for myself so that I can prove that I am more than what I am told. Through her, I learned the way that the world worked. Most children believed that the world was all sunshine and rainbows but at a young age, I knew otherwise. For example, I knew the way that money worked and how hard it was to make enough money to shelter and feed yourself and a young child. I often helped my mother find ways to save money, such as, checking price tags and pointing out coupons in the store. Life is filled with things that are thrown at you from left to right and you must always be ready for the unexpected. Although I do not have many talents to work off of, I knew that I could take what little I had and make something of it. One of the main goals that I have had since I was in elementary school is to become an art teacher. Even though it is not a job where you can make a lot of money, it is a job where you can make a difference in young minds. Through my experiences growing up, there have been a lot of teachers that discouraged students of low-class families. I want to be the one thing in students' lives where they can go to feel safe, just as my mother did for me. I believe that students need to know that no matter what they struggle with they can reach their goals and make it out of the hole that life has dug for them. To sum up, everything that has been said thus far, my mothers' story is inspiring to me because it is like the story of Cinderella. She is a woman that rose up from the soot and ashes that was her childhood and made it up to the top. The lesson she taught me is that young women should stand up for themselves and what they believe in before it is too late to change the circumstances that their parents have put them in. The best thing you can do for yourself is to discover your talents and use them to the best of your abilities so that you can reach your full potential. You are the only one that can pick yourself up and help reach your goals.